Foreign Language Requirement

Work toward the foreign language requirement should begin in the first year at Iowa. Students may choose either of the two options below. Since the aim of this requirement is to assure mastery in one foreign language, courses in translation are not applicable. The foreign language requirement must be completed before students are eligible to take the Comprehensive Examination.

1. Students must demonstrate mastery of one foreign language by earning a grade of B or above in one upper-level literature or theory class taught in the language. Normally this would comprise the fifth semester of language study, after students have taken two semsters of introductory and two semesters of intermediate language training. For languages in which one is usually not ready to read literature by the fifth semester of study or in which Iowa does not offer the opportunity for literary study, the requirement may be fulfilled by taking a fifth semester of language training. "Upper-level" courses, traditionally numbered at or above the 100-level, are open to advanced undergraduates and graduate students and are understood by the offering department to require competence in the relevant language. All applicable advanced courses taken at another college or university must have been completed within five years prior to the first semester of doctoral study at Iowa to be eligible to fulfill the language requirement.
    
2. Students may also fulfill the foreign language requirement by completing a four-course sequence with grades of B or above in Elementary Old English, Beowulf, any course taught in Middle English, and a pre-1500 seminar. The courses may be taken in any sequence. These courses in Old and Middle English provide a knowledge of the development of the English language sufficient to constitute the equivalent of learning a foreign language.

Some frequent questions are addressed by the following clarifications:

Although they may help students prepare for the "upper-level" literature course they must eventually take, basic language courses numbered below 100 taken after entry into the graduate program do not count toward the 72 semester hours of graduate credit required for the doctorate. Most foreign language departments at Iowa, however, do offer some beginning courses numbered 100-or-above, and these courses do count toward the required 72 semester hours of graduate credit.

Some foreign language departments offer a sequence of graduate-level courses for nonmajors labeled "Reading/Research," "Intensive" or "Accelerated" language study. In some cases, the foreign language department considers the third course in this series to be the equivalent of the fourth semester of undergraduate work. These courses will not fulfill the language requirement, but in some cases may help students reach the level of skill needed to take a literature course in the language. Note, however, the following advice:

"Intensive," "accelerated," or "reading/research" courses are designed to help graduate students read foreign language scholarship in their field. They will not teach you to speak, listen to, or write the language in question. For that reason they might not provide students with the skills needed to take a literature course in the language.

"Independent study" courses must receive prior written approval by the Director of Graduate Studies in order to fulfill any part of the foreign language requirement. Students interested in pursuing the study of languages not taught at Iowa should consult with the Director of Graduate Study about how to proceed.

The following pages provide details about the various aspects of the Ph.D. in English.

• Graduate home
• Steps to the Ph.D.
  Policies & Procedures
  • Commencing Study
  • Distribution Requirement
  • Seminar Reqirement
  • Foreign Language Requirement
  • Other Requirements
  • Qualifications
    • Application for Candidacy form (PDF)
  • Comprehensive Exam
  • Dissertation
  • After the PhD
• Admissions
  
• Funding
  
• Courses 
  
• Current Grad Students
  
• Graduate Placement
  
• PhD Student Publications

See Also:

• The Graduate College
• Graduate Assistanship Bulletin Board
• Graduate College Sources of Financial Support